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Mason Greenwood has matched a Didier Drogba feat in his first season with Marseille as he scored and assisted in their 4-1 battering of Brest.

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• Greenwood scores and assists in 4-1 win
• Brings up 19th Ligue 1 goal with Marseille
• Equals Drogba's record in his Marseille debut season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Greenwood has been in fine form for Marseille since the forward left Manchester United in a cut-price deal last summer. The 23-year-old has largely shone with Les Olympiens this season, and despite talk of a feud between the forward and coach Roberto De Zerbi, Greenwood is continuing to perform for the French side.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Greenwood scored his 19th Ligue 1 goal of the season on Sunday night, as he also bagged an assist for Amine Gouri's spectacular bicycle kick. Gouri was the major star of the night with his hat-trick, but it was also a special night for Greenwood as he matched Drogba's record of scoring 19 league goals in his debut season with Marseille.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The overall record for the most league goals scored by a player in his debut season with Marseille is currently held by ex-Swansea striker Bafetimbi Gomis, who scored 20 times during his loan spell in 2016-17.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR GREENWOOD?

  The 22-year-old now only needs one goal to equal Gomis' record and two more goals to outright hold the record for most league goals by a Marseille player in their debut campaign. However, Greenwood only has three more games to do so with the end of the season closing in.

West Ham United have made an approach to sign a Euro 2024 star who’s hit double figures for the season, in the form of a January offer, as Graham Potter seeks to bolster his forward line with proven quality before deadline day.

West Ham hold Brian Brobbey talks in January search for attacker

Late last week, news emerged from the Netherlands that West Ham opened talks with Ajax over signing Brian Brobbey, an attacker still believed to be on their radar.

West Ham thinking about signing £20m Premier League ace alongside Brobbey

The Hammers are in talks to sign Ajax’s forward.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jan 25, 2025

Brobbey had also attracted interest from Tottenham, but the Lilywhites pulled out of the race for his signature after making initial contact to gauge the conditions of a potential deal – handing West Ham a potential free run for the Dutchman’s signature.

However, while West Ham have been serious about securing a winter deal for the 22-year-old, problems have since emerged – namely that Ajax’s demands to let go of Brobbey are too high as things stand.

That is according to reliable journalist Jacob Steinberg, who also reports that West Ham are back in the market for alternative forward options like Brighton starlet Evan Ferguson and RB Leipzig’s Andre Silva.

A deal for the Eredivisie ace isn’t completely off the table, but things will have to change. According to former Spurs star Rafael van der Vaart, Brobbey would be a star at the London Stadium, if they manage to get him over the line.

West Ham make offer to Galatasaray forward Baris Yilmaz

In the meantime, Potter’s side search for other attackers who could make a similar impact, with Galatasaray star Baris Alper Yilmaz firmly in their thinking.

That is according to Turkish journalist Mehmet Ozcan, who told news outlet Haber Sarikirmizi (via Sport Witness) that Yilmaz has “received an offer” to join West Ham in January.

“Barış Alper Yılmaz received an offer from West Ham United, Galatasaray did not put the offer on their agenda,” said Ozcan. “He is expected to finish the season at Galatasaray. As far as I understand, Barış Alper will be facilitated at the end of the season,” said the Turkish journalist.

However, as per Ozcan, Galatasaray aren’t entertaining this approach – and a summer transfer is more likely for the “fascinating” Turkey international who’s bagged 11 goals in all competitions so far this season.

According to other reports, the Süper Lig champions could demand as much as £34 million to let him leave, with Yilmaz also starting every single game for his country on their surprise run to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals last year.

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is reportedly diluting his control of the club as they target a Champions League spot next season.

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• Notts Forest having superb season
• Chasing Champions League football
• Owner Marinakis dilutes role at club

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  ESPN states that Marinakis has taken a step back from his ownership duties at Forest, who sit sixth in the Premier League. However, the Olympiacos owner will still be heavily involved at the Premier League side and here's why.

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  THE EXPLANATION

  The report states that Marinakis' decision comes in light of the UEFA ruling that stops clubs under the same ownership group from competing in the same European competition. Forest and Olympiacos are in with a shot of being in next season's Champions League and documents filed to Companies House show the Greek businessman will be "ceasing to be a person of significant control" at the Premier League side, with his club shares being placed into a blind trust. If he were still at the helm and both teams qualified for the same competition, Forest would likely be barred from that tournament.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  A blind trust allows Marinakis to hand over control or influence over the day-to-day running of Forest – who are level on points with fifth-placed Chelsea and one point behind third-placed Manchester City. He still remains the club's owner and is said to be committed to the Tricky Trees.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Nuno Espirito Santo's Forest, who have a game in hand on their nearest rivals, take on Brentford in the Premier League on Thursday as they target a top five spot in the division.

Ange Postecoglou has slammed critics for trying to "diminish" Tottenham's Europa League run as they try & qualify for next season's Champions League.

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• Tottenham into Europa League last four
• Postecoglou rejects Man Utd comparison
• Slams those "diminishing" their run

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ahead of Tottenham's clash against Bodo/Glimt, head coach Postecoglou criticised those who have claimed that his side would be sneaking into the Champions League via the back door if they win this season's Europa League. He also said if Spurs won the competition, it would not be the equivalent of Manchester United winning last season's FA Cup.

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  WHAT POSTECOGLOU SAID

  He told reporters: "I've sensed, which is not surprising because I've said before that this is the way this club is perceived, that people are almost trying to diminish it in some respects. I've heard people say it's the equivalent of Man United winning the FA Cup. No it isn't. I'm sorry. Not on any planet is it the equivalent. Others suggest that maybe we're not worthy of Champions League. Things that are designed to diminish what's ahead of us, which is an unbelievable opportunity. Irrespective of how this season has gone, we have generations of fans who want this more than anything else, to share a special moment with people that they love. This season could have gone very differently and we could be flying in the league, but that doesn't make the opportunity any different. What we have before us is the semifinal of a European competition with an opportunity to get to a final, win a trophy and get Champions League football. I just think for the players and everyone involved at the football club it's a brilliant opportunity."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  This Europa League run is likely to be boom or bust for Postecoglou. If he fails to win it, he is almost certain to be sacked this summer and even if the Australian lifts the trophy, it may not be enough to save himself at Tottenham – who sit 16th in the Premier League. But if they were to win it, it would be a huge achievement and would bring to an end their 17-year wait for silverware.

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• WHAT NEXT?

  Tottenham host Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of this Europa League semi-final on Thursday before heading to Norway for the return fixture on May 8.

Liverpool turn their attention away from the Champions League and back to the Premier League this weekend as they prepare to travel to face Bournemouth away from home.

The Reds are six points clear at the top of the table ahead of their trip to the Vitality Stadium and will go nine points clear with a win over the Cherries, as Arsenal do not play Manchester City until Sunday.

Arne Slot’s side come into this match off the back of a 3-2 defeat to PSV, with a much-changed squad, last time out, but did beat Ipswich 4-1 in their last top-flight clash.

The Reds will be focused on picking up all three points against an in-form Bournemouth team, that beat Nottingham Forest 5-0 next weekend, and there may not be much attention being paid to the January transfer window, which slams shut on Monday.

Slot revealed, in an interview with the BBC, that he is happy with his current squad but that there is work going on behind the scenes to identify targets for the summer window, to ensure that they have enough options to compete on all fronts next season.

This ties in with one of the most recent transfer links that has emerged for the Premier League leaders, as they are reportedly eyeing a player ahead of a move at the end of the season.

Liverpool's interest in Bundesliga starlet

According to BILD reporter Christian Falk, Liverpool are one of a number of clubs keeping an eye on Xavi Simons’ situation with German side RB Leipzig.

The reporter claims that the Reds, Manchester United, and Manchester City are all monitoring the Netherlands international with a view to making a move for him at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

Falk reports that the three Premier League teams have shown an interest in the Dutch playmaker, despite his permanent transfer to RB Leipzig from Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain only going through this week.

The German journalist adds that the Bundesliga outfit are willing to listen to offers for the attacking midfielder in the summer transfer window, which will be just five months after their deal to sign him permanently from PSG, having spent the past 18 months on loan with Leipzig.

He also reveals that they would be open to a fee of up to €80m (£67m) for the Dutchman and that his new contract with the German side is due to expire in the summer of 2027.

Transfer Focus

Giving a 21-year-old player of Simons’ talent a two-and-a-half-year contract may indicate that selling him on for a profit has been the plan all along, as it seems strange not to want to tie him down to a four or five-year deal to secure his future at the club.

Signing the Dutch starlet may not be at the top of Liverpool’s agenda for the summer, however, as they still need to agree a new contract with Mohamed Salah.

Why Liverpool have to keep hold of Mo Salah

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s matches, Slot once again confirmed that the club want the Egypt international to put pen to paper on an extension with the Reds, as his current deal is due to expire at the end of the season.

Earlier this month, TEAMtalk reported that Salah wants a three-year extension on £400k-per-week wages, making him the highest earner in the club’s history, and that his preference is to remain at Anfield, but there is yet to be an agreement with Liverpool on those terms.

The board must be as flexible as possible to reach an agreement with Salah and his representatives because there is no getting away from how important he is to Slot.

As you can see in the table above, the former Chelsea and Roma man currently leads the team in pretty much every meaningful attacking statistic, with more goals, assists, ‘big chances’ created, key passes, and dribbles completed than any other player in the squad.

This illustrates just how influential the left-footed forward is for Liverpool and why losing him on a free transfer in the summer would be a huge blow for Slot and the club, which is also why it is so important that they manage to agree a new deal with him.

If the Reds can secure Salah’s long-term future at Anfield then they could also bring in Simons to be a dream addition for the Egyptian star next season and beyond.

Why Xavi Simons would be a dream for Mo Salah

As aforementioned, the Liverpool legend is currently the biggest contributor as both a scorer and a creator of goals in the Premier League for the team this season.

This means that he has to carry the side from a goalscoring and a creative perspective, which may prove to be too much work moving forward – even in the second half of this season – to maintain consistently.

Therefore, signing a player with the quality to take some of that load away from Salah’s shoulders could be a dream for the winger, which is why he could love the addition of Simons from Leipzig in the summer.

The Netherlands international, who analyst Ben Mattinson claimed is “destined for greatness”, has missed 13 games with an ankle injury so far this season, but has still managed four goals and six ‘big chances’ created in 11 appearances in the Bundesliga.

As you can see in the table above, Simons was a regular starter for Leipzig in the 2023/24 campaign and showcased his creative quality week-in-week-out in the German top-flight.

The 21-year-old, who can play out wide or in the middle as an attacking midfielder, is a star who has the ability to take on some of the responsibility that Salah currently has creatively, freeing him up to focus more on scoring goals.

Better than Cherki: Liverpool could land "one of the best STs in the world"

Liverpool have been linked with an interest in Rayan Cherki ahead of the summer.

1

By
Dan Emery

Jan 29, 2025

Simons could, therefore, be a terrific signing for Liverpool to be the creative hub of the team, creating ‘big chances’ and providing key passes consistently to the likes of Salah and Cody Gakpo in the final third.

Manchester United loaned out some important first-team players during the January transfer window. The most notable departure of the lot was Marcus Rashford, who joined Aston Villa with an option to make the move permanent for £40m at the end of the season.

Tyrell Malacia was the most recent player to leave the club, with the Dutchman joining PSV Eindhoven on loan, also with an option to buy the player permanently. The Red Devils also loaned out Antony to Spain, with the Brazilian winger joining La Liga side Real Betis.

With the outgoings on loan in attacking areas, a lot of responsibility will fall on the remaining attackers at Old Trafford, with Alejandro Garnacho, someone who will have a big role to play for Ruben Amorim in the second half of the season.

Garnacho’s season in 2024/25

It has been a strange campaign so far for 20-year-old attacker Garnacho. He started the campaign quickly under Erik ten Hag but hit a dip in form around the time the Dutchman’s tenure came to an end.

Under Amorim, the Argentine winger has struggled to lock down a place in the starting lineup, but hard work has seen him become a regular starter in recent weeks. In total, Garnacho has eight goals and six assists in 36 games this season.

Perhaps his biggest goal this term came in the Community Shield against Manchester City. The youngster came off the bench to fire United ahead, although their cross-city rivals ended up equalising and then winning on penalties.

Garnacho’s impressive performances over the season have seen his value rise up. According to CIES Football Observatory, the 20-year-old is valued at as high as £80m, a testament to his hard work despite tough spells at times this season.

Incredibly, there is a United player valued higher than their number 17, who has not quite hit the same heights as Garnacho this term.

The United player worth more than Garnacho

The player in question here is Red Devils striker Rasmus Hojlund. Despite a higher value than Garnacho, the Dane has been really disappointing this season and has struggled for form throughout the campaign.

In 2024/25, the Denmark international has scored just seven goals and has one assist in 30 appearances.

Worryingly for United, just two of those goals have come in the Premier League, against Brentford in a 2-1 win and a defeat against Nottingham Forest.

The Dane’s form is certainly strange, given how well he has played in Europe. Not only has he managed to score five goals in eight games in the Europa League last season, but he was dominant in the Champions League in 2023/24. Hojlund bagged five goals in just six group games, including two away to former club FC Copenhagen.

But, the stats from his work in the Premier League this season are damming. The United number nine has got really disappointing numbers, as per FBref, which show how poorly he has played. For example, Hojlund averages just 1.05 shots per game.

In terms of his value, he is surprisingly worth far more than Garnacho. The Denmark international is valued at £92m, according to CIES, a £20m increase to the original fee they paid for him two summers ago from Atalanta.

The big question is, will INEOS, and Amorim, sell the attacker? Well, according to talkSPORT’s chief football correspondent Alex Crook, they might. At the end of January, Crook claimed that Italian clubs Napoli and Juventus are interested in a potential move in the summer.

It is certainly a surprise that the United striker is valued higher than Garnacho. Although the winger has struggled at times this season, he has been electric in recent weeks and at the start of the campaign.

For Hojlund, it is a different story, and he will be hoping to turn a corner quickly to put this poor form behind him once and for all. It would not be a surprise if INEOS and Amorim did cash in on him, however, amid the need for a proven talent to lead the line moving forward.

Move over Dorgu: Man Utd could regret selling £15m Solskjaer signing

The former Man United star might have thrived under Amorim

By
Joe Nuttall

Feb 5, 2025

Bayern Munich have addressed the subject of Harry Kane’s future after seeing the England captain linked with a return to the Premier League.

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• Prolific striker is now a Bundesliga title winner
• Return to England has been speculated on
• Intends to spend at least one more year in Germany

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 31-year-old frontman bid farewell to his homeland when severing ties with Tottenham in 2023. He headed to Germany determined to break his career-long trophy curse. That has finally happened in 2025.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kane has helped Bayern to Bundesliga title glory, with wild celebrations being enjoyed in Bavaria. With major silverware secured, there has been talk of the prolific No.9 heading back to the English top-flight.

• WHAT BAYERN'S SPORTING DIRECTOR SAID

  Bayern’s sporting director, Christoph Freund, has, however, told that Kane is “generally very well respected in the team. He gets along well with everyone. He's in the prime of his life and has acclimatised himself superbly in Munich.”

  Freund went on to say that even the impending departure of close friend and former Spurs team-mate Eric Dier – who is poised to join Monaco – “doesn’t directly affect Harry” and will have no impact on his future plans.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Kane, who has netted 80 times for Bayern through 89 appearances in all competitions, has already stated that he intends to stick around at the Allianz Arena for at least one more season. He said in a title-winning message: “I can’t wait to be at the Allianz on Saturday and celebrate in front of the fans. And then, as always, we look forward to the next one and we go again and try and get number two.”

GOAL takes a look at five of the most unexpected storylines to begin the 2025 MLS season

The 2025 MLS campaign is nearly halfway through. Already 14 Matchdays into the campaign, trends are beginning to emerge, and patterns are starting to take shape. As expected, the Eastern Conference makes up the majority of the top of the race for the MLS Supporters' Shield – similar to the 2024 season. FC Cincinnati and the Philadelphia Union are tied at the top, while the Columbus Crew narrowly trail.

Unexpectedly, though, the Vancouver Whitecaps and U.S. international Brian White have emerged as the top team in the Western Conference and are right in that race at the top alongside them. The Union are perhaps the breakout team of the MLS season so far, too. Israeli forward Tai Baribo has already surpassed his 2024 goal tally and leads the race for the MLS Golden Boot by a three-goal margin already at 11. Towards the top of that table are Minnesota United, a franchise learning to play the ball, and they're excelling – spearheaded by Argentine midfielder Joaquin Pereyra.

Meanwhile, one team that is stunningly not at the top? Inter Miami. Across all competitions, the are winless in six of their last seven, and Lionel Messi himself has just two total assists in MLS play this season. Messi and Co. aren't the only underwhelming team this season, as nobody would have expected the reigning champions LA Galaxy to be winless after playing 14 games. It raises questions over the futures of both clubs, though Los Galácticos just extended embattled manager Greg Vanney.

GOAL takes a look at each development, discussing the unexpected storylines that have taken over the league 14 weeks into the campaign.

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• Baribo's brilliance leading Philly

  MLS's Golden Boot leader to begin the 2025 season, Israel international Baribo is FLYING – and the Union are soaring with him.

  Atop the Supporters' Shield through Matchday 14, the 27-year-old has taken them to new heights in 2025 with 11 goals and one assist in 11 starts across 13 appearances this season. Under the guidance of new head coach Bradley Carnell, he looks like a brand new forward this season.
  The club has secured major results in recent weeks, with wins over the LA Galaxy and Atlanta United – with both matches seeing Baribo score game-winners – while also securing results against the Crew, FC Cincy, and Orlando City, twice.

  Baribo has already surpassed his 2024 goal tally of nine, and after missing out on postseason soccer last campaign, has Philly on course for greatness this season. Out of nowhere, he has become one of the most exciting players in the entire league.

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  Vancouver's climb

  The Whitecaps are MLS's most pleasant surprise to begin 2025. Atop the Western Conference, and one point back in the race for the Supporters' Shield – but with a game in hand – they've become one of the league's most competitive sides this campaign. In regular season play, they've lost just one game this season – a game to the Chicago Fire, where they heavily rotated their roster due to CONCACAF Champions Cup match congestion.

  Speaking of, they're also in the final of that tournament, and are looking to become just the second team in MLS history to win the continental showcase to be crowned the kings of North America.

  This brilliant run? It's been spearheaded by first-year MLS manager Jesper Sorensen, and U.S. international Brian White. In MLS regular season action, White has eight goals this campaign, while he's bagged another five in the Champions Cup, bringing his season total to 13 so far across all competitions. White has become a late bloomer, and Sorensen is still a bit of an anomaly in the league, but he's unlocked the 28-year-old's shooting boots, and helped guide them to the top of the conference to begin the campaign.

  It's a remarkable turnaround for a club that only qualified for the postseason last year through a Wildcard play-in game, and the 51-year-old Danish manager deserves immense amounts of credit for it.

  White, meanwhile, has worked his way into the U.S. men's national team picture, and after featuring in both the January camp and March Nations League camp, he's made the 60-man shortlist for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. With the World Cup just one year out, anything has become possible for him amid this stellar stretch of form.

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  Messi's frustrations

  After their stupendous 2024 campaign, Lionel Messi's Inter Miami have fallen in recent weeks. The crashed out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup in the semifinals of the competition, getting battered by the Whitecaps across two legs, and their MLS form has dwindled since.

  Across all competitions, they've won just one of their last seven, and across the Eastern Conference, they have conceded the sixth-most goals in MLS regular season action. Their midfield and defense have fallen short of expectations, while in the final-third, both Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have looked increasingly frustrated – specifically, their Argentine talisman.

  Messi's last regular season assist came in a two-assist showing against NYCFC in their first match of the season back on Feb. 22 – the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has not recorded one since. Meanwhile, in front of net, he has five goals in 10 league matches, and in his last two MLS matches, he's come up without a goal contribution.

  Suarez, meanwhile, has helped in the assist department for Miami this season with six total, but he's scored just two goals – an area where they primarily need his services.

  It's become a frustrating period for the South Beach club and first-year manager Javier Mascherano, and as things have continued to dwindle over the course of May, the frustration has only grown. With less than one month until the start of the FIFA Club World Cup, the need to vastly improve if they want to compete.

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  Trouble in LA

  Uff. Los Angeles, what's going on?

  After hitting the highest of highs last season, winning MLS Cup, the Galaxy are at the lowest of lows right now, winless in 14-straight matches to begin the 2025 MLS campaign. The only team in the league without three points to their name, they sit 30th in the race for the Supporters' Shield while in the midst of an internal battle to identify what's gone wrong.

  Sure, there are a handful of logical reasons for inconsistencies to begin the season, but there's no real excuse for it to drag on as long as it has.

  Meanwhile, the club controversially handed manager Greg Vanney a long-term contract extension last week, despite their winless start to the campaign.

  Star winger Gabriel Pec, the 2024 MLS Newcomer of the Year, has just one goal and two assists in 11 appearances this season after having 30 goal contributions last year, while his compatriot on the opposite side of the pitch, Ghana international Joseph Paintsil, has just one assist in seven appearances. Both have dealt with respective injuries, and star midfielder Riqui Puig is currently sidelined with an ACL tear, but the Western Conference side is running out of excuses.

  It’s all perplexing, especially for a team that looked so promising just a few months ago.

With Scott Parker’s side gunning for promotion, one Burnley star has reportedly stepped up his recovery and could yet be in contention to return for the first time in six games against Sheffield Wednesday.

Burnley injury news

The Clarets have endured a mixed campaign back in the Championship. On the one hand, their goalscoring struggles have been clear for all to see with Parker’s style unentertaining more often than not. But on the flip side, they have been remarkable on the defensive front – conceding just nine goals in 33 games to move within five points of Sheffield United in the final automatic promotion spot.

There’s still a gap to bridge and one that Parker should be desperate to overcome in the remaining months of the campaign. The last thing he will want is to be involved in the uncertainty of the play-offs, which often throws form out the window.

With that said, the Clarets boss will be relieved to see one particular player on his way back to full fitness. As relayed by the Burnley Express, Luca Koleosho is now back in training and could yet return against Sheffield Wednesday this weekend.

Burnley interested in "talented" teenager and he's now travelled to England

The Clarets could make a move for a highly-rated defender.

By
Dominic Lund

Feb 6, 2025

The winger has missed the last six games in all competitions, in which Burnley have scored just four times – highlighting how desperate they are for an attacking spark.

Having started 19 Championship games prior to his injury, Koleosho will be keen to come straight back into Parker’s side and find a bit of form, himself. With just two goals to his name all season however, the Italian has been among those guilty of a quiet campaign within Burnley’s frontline at times.

"Deadly" Koleosho can finally make his mark

Now, more than ever, Parker needs as many attacking options as possible as he looks to combine his side’s sensational defensive record with a functioning attack to seal automatic promotion. The arrival of Marcus Edwards has already helped on that front, but now the return of Koleosho should hand the Clarets manager another welcomed boost.

With just 13 games remaining in the Championship, Burnley have a five-point gap to make up and an attacking star to welcome back at the perfect time. They’ve been impenetrable in recent months but must ensure that a blunt attack doesn’t stand in the way of promotion.

Described as “deadly” by analyst Ben Mattinson, if Koleosho can return with a bang and instantly add to his two goals, then those at Turf Moore will be handed the ultimate boost.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have a tough assignment up next in the Premier League, against the in-form Everton. Whilst the gap between the Old Gold and 18th-place Ipswich Town is five points, Wolves will surely want a big three points to keep them well above the relegation zone.

This has, historically, been a good fixture for the West Midlands outfit. As per Transfermarkt, they have lost just four top flight games to Everton since their first season back in the Premier League in 2018/19, winning seven and scoring 21 goals.

So, with history on their side and a win needed, Wolves may well go into this game quietly confident. However, Vitor Pereira will be without his star man, Matheus Cunha.

Why Wolves will be without Cunha vs Everton

Last Saturday saw Wolves travel to Bournemouth in a tough assignment in the FA Cup. Despite taking the Cherries to penalties after a 1-1 draw, the Old Gold were defeated and ultimately eliminated from the FA Cup.

It was Cunha who got on the scoresheet, for this sublime strike on the hour mark.

The defeat was disappointing for Wolves, who fought hard but could not overcome a high-flying Bournemouth side. Defeat aside, the most frustrating part of the day for Wolves was Cunha’s red card.

He was sent off for violent conduct, after “fighting and kicking out at him before aiming a headbutt”, as BBC Sport put it. It means the Brazilian will miss three games, starting against Everton, although he will be absent for games against Southampton and West Ham United, too.

However, the FA have further charged him, claiming he “acted in an improper manner”. If found guilty, Cunha will miss a fourth game, a huge relegation six-pointer away to Ipswich at the start of April.

Looking in the shorter term, Wolves will definitely be without Cunha for the clash with the Toffees this weekend. He is a huge loss for Pereira’s side, but perhaps he could soften the blow by starting another deadly forward in his place.

Wolves’ perfect Cunha replacement

The Old Gold are a little depleted in attack going into the Everton game. Not only are they without Cunha, but Portuguese duo Goncalo Guedes and Rodrigo Gomes are only just returning from injury – albeit with the pair deemed “ready” to feature, according to Pereira. Either way, it could be a chance for Hee-chan Hwang to step up.

Chalkboard

The 2023/24 campaign was incredibly impressive from South Korean international, Hwang. In 29 Premier League games, he managed to get on the scoresheet on 12 occasions and grab three assists, too.

However, the former RB Salzburg attacker has struggled to replicate that form this season. He has scored just two goals in 17 top-flight appearances. They are the only times he has found the back of the net in any competition.

Despite his tough campaign this term, the 29-year-old has proven he can offer a source of goals in the top flight. In fact, last term, there were plenty of his stats, as per Squawka, that are comparable with Cunha.

For example, the Brazilian averaged 0.5 goals per 90 minutes, compared to 0.6 for Hwang. The South Korean attacker also had a better take-on success rate, with 54.55%, with Cunha averaging a 51.2% take-on success rate.

The Old Gold number 11 might fancy his chances of scoring against Everton should he come into the side at the weekend. He scored past the Toffees as recently as 2022/23, in a 1-1 draw at Molineux.

Replacing Cunha is obviously never going to be easy for Pereira. But, having someone like Hwang in the squad is certainly helpful. Statman Dave once described him as the “perfect modern forward”.

Perhaps he can help replace the goals Cunha brought to the side, and help Wolves earn a crucial three points against Everton at the weekend.

Everton have a "monster" who could be Moyes' new Rooney & it's not Beto

Everton are resurgent under Moyes’ wing, with a new superstar on the rise.

By
Angus Sinclair

Mar 6, 2025